Nobody said we had to be fair when picking a rival for Chevrolet's 580-bhp Camaro ZL1, the most potent pony car available. Ford's 650-bhp 2013 GT500 wasn't quite ready to play, and we knew a Boss 302 wouldn't stand a chance, what with its being down 136 bhp. We even considered a Corvette Grand Sport, but its family ties are just too close. Then someone in a small voice mentioned the Nissan GT-R. Silence fell over the Road & Track conference room as we pondered this unconventional pairing.

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The ZL1 against Godzilla? Yes indeed. As illogical as that may seem, both cars have massive horsepower, weigh 2 tons, have 2+2 seating and feature a variety of go-fast goodies.

Also, each is saddled with certain expectations. The ZL1 is still a Camaro, with pony-car roots that dictate a manual transmission, rear drive and a powerful V-8. The twin-turbo V-6 GT-R is a slave to speed. Its twin-clutch transaxle and intelligent all-wheel drive turn the driving experience into something not unlike the Gran Turismo video game. With that in mind, the battle was on.